The present invention relates to a firefighting apparatus, such as a fire truck, a trailer or other vehicle, and more particularly to a firefighting apparatus including a storage unit configured to store contaminated self-contained breathing apparatus and equipment to thereby reduce exposure of firefighters and other personnel to harmful chemicals that can be toxic, hazardous and/or carcinogenic.
Firefighters are known for their preparedness and ability to quickly deploy to a fire or emergency scene in a firefighting vehicle, such as a fire truck. Typically, a firefighter will don their equipment, such as boots, bibs, a coat, and a helmet, and stow their self-contained breathing apparatus nearby, before getting into the vehicle, so as to save critical time when the fire fighter arrives at the scene.
At a typical firefighting or emergency scene, a firefighter can be exposed to a variety of chemicals. These chemicals can be present in the materials used by the firefighters to extinguish or contain fire, such as flame retardants, foams, and other treatments. The chemicals also can be present in materials located at the scene. When the materials burn, the chemicals can become airborne, which is why a firefighter will wear their self-contained breathing apparatus to prevent the firefighter from directly breathing in the chemicals. When at a scene, a firefighter unintentionally can be exposed to the chemicals, for example, by not donning the mask soon enough, or removing the mask before exposure to the chemicals has subsided.
Notably, while a firefighter is at a scene, their equipment, including their self-contained breathing apparatus, frequently becomes exposed to the chemicals. Thus, these items become contaminated with chemicals, which can be toxic, hazardous and/or carcinogenic. In the interest of exiting and quickly cleaning up a scene, however, many firefighters will remove the self-contained breathing apparatus and equipment from their body, then climb into the cab of a vehicle with those items to return to the firehouse. Accordingly, the contaminated items remain in the cab of the vehicle, and in close proximity to the firefighter or occupants of the cab, until the items are removed from the cab and washed back at the firehouse. In this manner, the very chemicals that the self-contained breathing apparatus and protective equipment are designed to protect the firefighter from are brought into close proximity to that firefighter in the vehicle, after the firefighting or emergency activity has ceased.
This exposure to chemicals, and in particular toxic, hazardous and/or carcinogenic chemicals has been of an increasing concern among the firefighting community. In particular, when materials at a fire ground contain toxic chemicals or substances, the firefighters health and safety can be placed at significant risk. In recent years, there is been a statistical observation that firefighters have an increased rate of cancer. Some believe that this increased rate of cancer is caused by the repeated exposure over many years to toxic, hazardous and/or carcinogenic substances encountered during a firefighting activity. Many departments have implemented procedural changes to prevent exposure to the substances and to monitor the health and of firefighters. For example, many policies urge firefighters to transport their self-contained breathing apparatus in the truck cab and to quickly don the apparatus upon exiting the truck, or when any hazardous or toxic chemicals are detected at a fire ground or scene. The threat of exposure to hazardous substances and carcinogens in smoke, however, is realized by firefighters only when the presence of the smoke and is appreciated. In many cases, hazardous chemicals can be airborne at a scene even when a firefighter cannot see them. Even where firefighters take extra efforts to utilize their breathing apparatus and other equipment, those firefighters can inadvertently expose themselves to hazardous chemicals after the firefighting or emergency activity is completed by continuing to carry around contaminated equipment. Indeed, in many cases, they take the contaminants back to the firehouse, thereby exposing themselves and others to the contaminants until the equipment is properly washed down.
Accordingly, there remains room for improving firefighting vehicles to limit and/or prevent inadvertent exposure of firefighters or other personnel to chemicals that can be hazardous, toxic and/or carcinogenic.